I mostly care about the white on black angle as an explanation for why Zimmerman acted the way he did. I don't think that the crime is somehow worse than it would be if everyone was the same race.

Yes, but if you start a fight (as I believe Zimmerman did, although there is no conclusive evidence) I'm rather surprised that killing the other person because it turns out you suck at fighting counts as self-defense.

How did Z start a fight? On my planet at least, you have to throw a punch or something like that. What do they do on your planet? Blow water from their spouts at each other?

Originally Posted by msg_v2

It wouldn't matter if he had the crown jewels of England in his backpack. It is not up to citizens to determine innocence or guilt through vigilante justice.

Where was vigilante justice involved in this case? Was Trayvon attacking Z an act of vigilante justice?

Originally Posted by msg_v2

Possibly, but I am not a member of the jury or involved with the case in any way. I cannot possibly affect the outcome of the trial. I do not need to provide testimony or make arguments that won't get thrown out, so the only thing that matters, given my lack of involvement, is my personal opinion on the matter. I believe it is possible for the laws of the state of Florida to be fucking retarded, so I would prefer to not involve them in my academic consideration of this case, as they appear to make no sense. If your legal intepretation of said laws is correct, they suggest that the state of Florida does not believe trials are necessary at all, which makes discussing the outcome of the case ridiculous, since it treats frontier justice and trial justice as valid paths to the same end, like some people want insurance companies to treat alternative medicine.

I just hope Florida brings back trial by battle soon. Let God decide!

Shooting someone who is on top of you banging your head into a sidewalk is not frontier justice in any jurisdiction. Do you have any real examples of frontier justice?

"Everyone has a plan till they get punched in the mouth." Mike Tyson
“Culture?” says Paul McCartney. “This isn't culture. It's just a good laugh.”

Why, for bringing up the fact that people of different skin colors speak Spanish?

[Trump's] rhetoric is not an abuse of power. In the same way that it's also not against the law to do a backflip off of the roof of your house onto your concrete driveway. It's just mind-numbingly stupid and, to say the least, counterproductive. - Bush did 9-11

How did Z start a fight? On my planet at least, you have to throw a punch or something like that.

It's my understanding that there is no conclusive evidence as to who threw the first punch.

What do they do on your planet? Blow water from their spouts at each other?

Yes, and also really giant queef bubbles.

Where was vigilante justice involved in this case? Was Trayvon attacking Z an act of vigilante justice?

Shooting someone who is on top of you banging your head into a sidewalk is not frontier justice in any jurisdiction. Do you have any real examples of frontier justice?

Oh, so Zimmerman was just following Martin to sell girl scout cookies.

[Trump's] rhetoric is not an abuse of power. In the same way that it's also not against the law to do a backflip off of the roof of your house onto your concrete driveway. It's just mind-numbingly stupid and, to say the least, counterproductive. - Bush did 9-11

Look forward to gun control gaining ground in the next few years, then.

[Trump's] rhetoric is not an abuse of power. In the same way that it's also not against the law to do a backflip off of the roof of your house onto your concrete driveway. It's just mind-numbingly stupid and, to say the least, counterproductive. - Bush did 9-11